After a massive earthquake struck Tainan six years ago, the Construction and Planning Agency amended the Seismic Design Specifications and Commentary of the Building Technical Regulations (建築技術規則).
The main aim was to ensure that buildings have a state-of-the-art earthquake-resistant structure to reduce potential damage.
There is a widely held misconception that bulkier and sturdier structures are more earthquake-safe.
However, heavy materials increase the weight of a building, leading to more serious damage in the event that it collapses during an earthquake. Therefore, structural integrity and weight reduction, for example through minimizing decorative elements, are key factors of earthquake safety.
Structural elements, such as beams, need to be strong and sturdy, but for nonstructural elements, such as external walls and internal partitions, lightweight materials should be favored.
Under some circumstances, replacing reinforced concrete with lightweight materials might become increasingly popular for new buildings in earthquake-prone areas. Such materials also have sound and heat insulating properties suitable for energy-efficient buildings. They include recycled materials, such as glass, bricks and tiles, as well as sintered sludge from reservoirs.
Over the past few years, Taiwanese manufacturers have been developing a variety of such high-quality materials, rectifying the misconception about such materials’ inferiority.
Public projects and the construction industry should strongly promote their use, creating a “circular economy” in the construction sector.
Chen Wen-ching is convener of the Recycling Green Building Material Industry Alliance.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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